Lions to unleash Nohamba against WP
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba will get a starting opportunity this Saturday when his team face Western Province in the Currie Cup at Ellis Park.
The nuggety scrumhalf makes his second Currie Cup appearance for the Johannesburg team since relocating from Durban in April.
Head Coach Ivan van Rooyen emphasized the need to end the season on a high, and Saturday is part of the journey towards that.
“We’ve kept a fairly consistent approach for Saturday’s clash against Western Province,” expressed the Lions boss.
“Finishing strong as a franchise has been our theme over the past two weeks. Last Saturday’s win, albeit in a different competition, instilled a huge amount of confidence within the group. It’s the kind of momentum we’ll be taking into tomorrow’s game,” he concluded.
With Jordan Hendrikse on National Sevens duty in London, Tiaan Swanepoel takes over the kicking duties from the number 10 position, with James Tedder providing cover on the bench.
In the front row, hooker Morne Brandon gets a starting opportunity. His replacement PJ Botha is set to provide impact later in the match.
Reinhard Nothnagel wears the captain’s armband.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Henco Van Wyk, 12 Matt More, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Emmanual Tshituka, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel (captain), 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Morne Brandon, 1 JP Smith.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Botha, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 PJ Steenkamp, 20 Jarod Cairns, 21 Morne Van den Berg, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 James Tedder.
Date: Saturday, May 28
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
Assistant Referees: Ashleigh Murray-Pretorius, Local
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen
